Baltimartyria
Encyclopedia
Baltimartyria is an extinct genus
of primitive metallic moths in the family
Micropterigidae
. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene Baltic amber
deposits in the Baltic Sea
region of Europe. The genus currently contains two described species, Baltimartyria proavitella and Baltimartyria rasnitsyni.
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
in Vienna, Austria. Rebel named the species Micropterix proavitella, thinking it belonged to the modern genus Micropterix
. Rebel published his description of the species in 1936. The fossil was reexamined in 1995 by the Czech entomologist Andrzej W Skalski, who recognized the species was not a member of Micropterix and moved the species to the new genus Baltimartyria.
, as specimen MB.I 5950. The holotype specimen is a complete male moth, included in a transparent section of amber with its wings
partly spread. Due to the positioning of the body the right antenna and right maxillary palps are not visible, while the top and inner sides of the genitalia are partly coated in a white coating. Overall the specimen has a body length of 3 millimetre (0.118110236220472 in) and has a fore-wing length of 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in). B. rasnitsyni is distinguishable from B. proavitella by characters of the wing vein structure and the maxillary palps. While the R vein branches in B. proavitella all originate separately from the cell, whereas the R4 and R5 veins originate from a single vein that forks on the apex side of the cell. The species was described and named by Wolfram Mey in a 2011 paper published in the online and print journal ZooKeys
. Mey notes that the type specimen had been sitting on his desk for a number of years prior to description. The generic
placement was not recognized by Mey until Skalski's 1995 redescription of B. proavitella. Mey chose the specific epithet rasnitsyni to honor the eminent Russian paleoentomologist, Alexandr Pavlovich Rasnitsyn.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of primitive metallic moths in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Micropterigidae
Micropterigidae
Micropterigoidea is the superfamily of "mandibulate archaic moths", all placed in the single family Micropterigidae, containing currently about 20 living genera. They are considered the most primitive extant lineage of Lepidoptera ....
. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene Baltic amber
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates from 44 million years ago...
deposits in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
region of Europe. The genus currently contains two described species, Baltimartyria proavitella and Baltimartyria rasnitsyni.
B. proavitella
The first known fossil was originally studied and described by Hans RebelHans Rebel
Hans Rebel was an Austrian entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera.Rebel, who had an early interest in natural history and butterflies, first became a lawyer. He devoted his spare time to studying Lepidoptera and established the entomological section of the Botanical and Zoological Society of...
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
in Vienna, Austria. Rebel named the species Micropterix proavitella, thinking it belonged to the modern genus Micropterix
Micropterix
Micropterix is a genus of small primitive metallic moths in the insect order Lepidoptera within the family Micropterigidae that is distributed across Europe south to North Africa and east as far as Japan...
. Rebel published his description of the species in 1936. The fossil was reexamined in 1995 by the Czech entomologist Andrzej W Skalski, who recognized the species was not a member of Micropterix and moved the species to the new genus Baltimartyria.
B. rasnitsyni
The second species of Baltimartyria described from Baltic amber is B. rasnitsyni which, like B. proavitella, is known from a single specimen. The holotype is included in the paleoentomology collections of the Museum für Naturkunde, BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, as specimen MB.I 5950. The holotype specimen is a complete male moth, included in a transparent section of amber with its wings
Insect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
partly spread. Due to the positioning of the body the right antenna and right maxillary palps are not visible, while the top and inner sides of the genitalia are partly coated in a white coating. Overall the specimen has a body length of 3 millimetre (0.118110236220472 in) and has a fore-wing length of 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in). B. rasnitsyni is distinguishable from B. proavitella by characters of the wing vein structure and the maxillary palps. While the R vein branches in B. proavitella all originate separately from the cell, whereas the R4 and R5 veins originate from a single vein that forks on the apex side of the cell. The species was described and named by Wolfram Mey in a 2011 paper published in the online and print journal ZooKeys
ZooKeys
ZooKeys is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal for the field of zoology. It was established in 2008, and the editor-in-chief is Terry Erwin from the Smithsonian Institution...
. Mey notes that the type specimen had been sitting on his desk for a number of years prior to description. The generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
placement was not recognized by Mey until Skalski's 1995 redescription of B. proavitella. Mey chose the specific epithet rasnitsyni to honor the eminent Russian paleoentomologist, Alexandr Pavlovich Rasnitsyn.